Friendship

I have been thinking about friendship lately.

It can be friendship with other women, or within your family, your marriage and even with your children.

What I have to know is that the true friendships are those in which we are 'on our friend's side'. We want them to succeed. To grow. To be closer to God.

A litmus test is when a friend chooses something different than we might. Though that choice may not fit us, if it fits them, we cheer.

Another is when the friend has a success. We are not jealous. We don't compare and feel bad because we didn't get it, or didn't have the courage/talent/luck to achieve the same thing. We cheer for them, hug them, are truly happy for them.

And when a friend is this for us, we have a gift beyond others. We have trust. We know our friend is 'on our side' so when we go through dips and failures, they are there to listen, support, pick us up and we know gossip will never get started.

When we succeed, or our children or families do, we know they truly are happy for us, because our success is their success.

And the more we can trust, the more we can share, and the sweeter the friendship is.

I am so blessed to have people in my life like this. I have learned so much from them. And I am trying to be this to others. It is not always easy because sometimes I feel jealous, inferior or just unluckly. But I know when friends have me feeling better and find myself praying more, that I am very lucky.